Candidate for
Member of Council; City of Cincinnati

I am running for my last term on Cincinnati Council, after successfully leading the 2012 campaign to change the city charter to 4-year council terms. We will be more productive with 4 year terms, and it saves taxpayer money.

My vision for our city is "Cleaner, Greener & Smarter".

My reputation is "one who gets things done." In my four years on council, I have authored legislation and created new programs to bring jobs and revitalize neighborhoods. I'm also the "green" and arts leader on council.

Community Entertainment Districts - this legislation I authored helps struggling business districts attract restaurants to empty commercial spaces, and helps entrepreneurs like Gary Sims open restauants like Barrio. It's working like a charm, creating hundreds of new jobs at restaurants in the seven neighborhoods that have become CEDs so far. They are: Over the Rhine, Northside, Pleasant Ridge, Price Hill, Corryville, Clifton Heights, and Madisonville. Walnut Hills and East Walnut Hills will be next!

Mobile Food Vending - I created this program in 2010 to help food entrepreneurs do business downtown, and we've expanded it to more locations each year. We now have zones at Sawyer Pointe, Fountain Square, Washington Park and Over the Rhine.

Cincinnati Safe Student Housing - I created this program recently to help improve the rental housing in the city. It's in response to the deaths of two UC students this year in an off campus house fire. Now, anyone can call our Cincinnati Fire Department for a free fire inspection, and the properties that pass get promoted on our list at http://www.CincinnatiSafeStudentHousing.com.

City Budget - an Enquirer editorial June 1, 2013 said "Quinlivan has this issue right." I'm pushing for a sustainable city budget that will necessitate rightsizing our two largest city departments where we overspend 10 to 15% compared to cities we benchmark against. It may be the most important issue we face, to sustain our city into the future.

Cincinnati Arts Ambassador Fellowships - I'm the only council member openly advocating for the arts, which I believe set us apart from all other midwest cities. I created the Cincinnati Arts Ambassador Fellowship, $6000 awards to seven Cincinnati artists from any discipline each year, to create a new work they share with the public. The results have been amazing, including "Shark Girl by the Sea" now installed at Sawyer Point near the serpentine wall.

Key to my success on council, I believe, is my unique background and training as a longtime investigative reporter. My professional skills include independent research, excellent communication, and persistence. Those skills serve me well getting things done at city hall.

I am married to Cincinnati native Greg Ruthman, who teaches K-8 Art at St. Joseph's on Ezzard Charles Drive. We have a 7 year old son at Kilgour, and our daughter is a freshman at UC this year.

I am the oldest of six children and grew up in a small town outside of Toledo. I attended Miami University and studied abroad in Luxembourg, as did my husband. I am the only elected mother on council.

Greg and I live in Mt. Lookout. We recently built a new LEED Gold home and feel very lucky to be able to stay in the neighborhood we love, in an energy efficient home that allows us to take advantage of the city's progressive property tax break for building green,.

I left my job with the Channel 9 I-Team in 2007, and started LQ Consulting, my video production and media consulting business. However, now that I'm on council, my business is on the back burner so I can give fulltime attention to working for citizens and making our city the best it can be.

Some of my best known I-Team investigations:

"Mismanagement of Paul Brown Stadium Construction"

"Visions of Vine Street" Documentary in 2001"

"Hamilton Co. Engineers Party in Las Vegas"

"Archdiocese Coverup of Sexual Abuse"

"Innocent Man in Prison, Dean Gillipie"

"Purple People Bridge Makeover"